The new two-building facility, to be completed in September 2021, will be unique in that it is a hybrid of wood, concrete and steel.

The upper three storeys will be fully wooden, which will make it the biggest wooden building in Slovenia, InnoRenew said in a release.

The new facility is a research project in itself as it will be subject to intensive monitoring during and after construction to study wood ageing and facilitate future wooden building planning.

InnoRenew, established in 2017 and launched in 2018, is one of only ten centres of excellence co-funded from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme.

It has received EUR 15 million from the EU fund and another EUR 30 million from the Slovenian state budget.

The new research facility will spread on 8,200 square metres, and its construction has been estimated at EUR 11 million.

InnoRenew CoE studies renewable materials and sustainable construction with a view to transfer scientific findings to industry.

It focuses foremost on innovative and inter-disciplinary research of wood and its use.